The farm and farmhouse

About Me

Hi! Im a wife in my low twenties, living on a farm in the Midwest. Just trying to make ends meet and save for our future as we remodel our old farmhouse, and stay out of debt.
____________________________
As of November 2018

Viewing the '2016 Goals' Category

Husband got his bonus. $750 which is down from $800 last year. Bummer since the company made 20 MILLION more this year. Oh well, we are thankful for any extra money!

I sent $350 to the Roth IRA. First time I've been able to add to that in a long time. The other $400 husband wants to save for vacation. We will be going to Disney world in in the spring, and are estimating needing $1,500. I'm really hoping to get some taxes back this year and we can use part of our return for this. The rest will most likely go towards the IRAs.

Still working on paying off Christmas and other miscellaneous expenses. With the Christmas season and lots of sales, I've done really bad at splurging on multiple smaller expenses. Oh $20 here, $15 there, $20 here... It adds up!

Mortgage is down to $46,010.56! Every little bit that comes off is less we will owe when we refinance.

Remodel contract has been signed and $2,500 deposit has been paid!! This is really happening, guys!! We are expecting to start in two months, so that will give us a little time to work on saving/paying down debt.

I need to come up with $200 more to finish off the animal expenses until spring. First kids will arrive in a week. I'm so excited.

Husband should be getting his yearly bonus soon. We haven't decided what we are going to use it for yet, but most likely will put some in the IRA and the car fund. Husband's car is still chugging along right now, but we'd like to have enough money put back that he could purchase a decent car without needing to take out a loan in the future.

Had a really nice guy come out to take a look at our house Saturday. He is suppose to give us an estimate within the week. Had pretty good feelings about him. Super nice, and he is working on a friend's house with good reviews.

I also have another company coming out this evening to take a look. I couldn't get a hold of anyone all year, and suddenly they finally started agreeing to come. Both companies would not be able to start on the project until November. So that would give us some time to put things in order, figure out a budget, etc.

Trying not to get my hopes up until we get a real figure. Who knows, it might be way out of our league.

Paid a small amount on the LOC and saved for the truck. This weekend we are going to just go window shop for a washer. If we see a deal we can't pass up we will get one, otherwise we will wait a while longer.

Besides that I've been trying to get my house in order. Cleaning, organizing, etc. I am not materialistic, and I hate junk and clutter.Most of my belongings are:
1. Animal medicine/items
2. Tools
3. Paperwork for work

Of course I can't get rid of any of that, so I'm trying to find ways to make things tidier. Our tools are nice and organized thanks to the Christmas toolbox and the workbench I built. But everything else is a disaster. I am a messy worker so my beautiful desk is in a constant state a disarray. Been looking for a paper organizer for a while but I am picky and have not found one I like yet. Might have to be a new building project...

Today I managed to pay all my bills and completely pay off the balances on my credit cards. No more playing catch up! It's been months since I was able to see the entire balance at $0 and not just the statement balance.

I have an extra $26.23 left over which I sent to the LOC.

Sadly I'm having some animal issues which I expect will cost around $150 on the safe side, in the next couple weeks.

Horrible weather we are having here. Nonstop rain for days, with the entire 10 day forecast 100% rain. This stinks since I am going to a goat show this weekend, and this weather will really put my poor goaties in bad condition. They eat a lot less when it's raining. My yard is a flood. I stepped in a water filled hole up to my knee yesterday. Oh well. It's out of my control.

Now for the really bad news.

I received a bill from the hospital yesterday. 10 pages of itemized costs. It says I owe $2,000 more for my hospital stay back in early January. How is this even legal? My family already paid $2,000 and I hadn't heard anything in months so I assumed that it was the end of it. How can they just send a huge bill 8 months later!? I swear I've already paid for most of the stuff on the itemized receipt. Are they double dipping? Going to talk with them today or tomorrow and try to find out what the heck is going on. I can't afford $2,000. I HATE the entire medical system. How can they take advantage of sick dying people? They charged me $7 for one Tylenol...

Really furious and upset. This is like the 4th bill from the hospital. Why was it not all at once?

I got all my major deadlines completed except one, which I still have about a week to do.

Lots of running around, and craziness here. Making a 15 hour trip tomorrow, some needed clothes shopping on Sunday, party Monday. Vet trips are still kicking my butt. Poor dogs were getting eaten up by flies, so I had to buy some more flea/fly medicine. It's buy 3 get 1 free, which is enough to do both dogs for two months. Which should get us through the worst of fly season... $55, ouch.

I have vet checks for the goats next week. The goat I purchased on the other side of the country, might be falling through. Transport cancelled last minute. Oh well, I'm kind of relived. I was having 2nd thoughts. So if I can't find a way to get him here I'll be okay. That $500 would cover the cost of hay. Which surprisingly got baled early and is ready to go now. Sigh. Don't have money for it at the moment. I wasn't expecting it until later this fall.

Lots of big expenses hitting all at once. I'm scrambling to cash flow everything. Vet bills, hay, chaffhaye, license renewal, party, vacation, etc. Okay so far, just need to be tight this month until life calms down again.

Sent $150 to the animal fund completing my $1,000 goal for the year! Hurray!

I will actually need to keep saving more though, because I still need to pay for testing which is around $400. Yikes. But I should be able to just cash flow it.

Got the mama cat's spay appointment set up. In July I'm making an all day trip to pick up a goat, the next day taking the cat to the vet and working, and then the next day we will leave on vacation. The day we get back from vacation bible school will start for a week. That is going to be a BUSY couple weeks.

Have several important deadlines that need to be done before July 1st and I'm feeling the crunch. To combat stress and take a step back husband and I are taking off work early today and going camping for one night. While the time would probably be wiser spent working on deadlines, I think my health and sanity need a short break. Hopefully it doesn't rain on us!

Finally got our propane budget renewal. With the new furnace this winter we used drastically less than we had been paying in every month. So for the next year our propane budget billing will only be $40, instead of our previous $115!

$75 a month in savings, that's a pretty decent jump. I'm sure the bill will go down even more when we someday replace all the old leaky duct work. That money will just get rolled into savings or debt repayment.

I've decided to use all my regular job income for our bills, and all my design income I'm sending straight to goals.

Mom talked me into keeping the buck that was supposed to go home this week, and they got one of hers instead. I'm happy to keep the goat because it was one of my favorite babies this year, but now my animal fund won't be finished quite yet. Darn.

We really have to get cracking on planning our vacation. It's coming up quick!

I was very productive this week. Got the goat house cleaned out, and sold 2 more kids. The animal fund is up to $847! The next goat is going home next week, and I will be able to finish that goal out!

Saved $100 for vacation, truck fund went up it's normal amount, and I paid $200 on the LOC. Very nice to see that balance finally going down. I'm torn between if I should be finishing out the Roth before starting on the LOC, or should I be doing both at the same time, or just sticking with the LOC? I plan on putting $1,500 more into the Roth this year and part of me thinks I should just knock that out first.

It's been 94 degrees in the house this week, and it really makes me want AC. It's nearly unbearable combined with our super high humidity.

Roof is all done, onto the next project. Which will probably be more trim, and continuing to clean out the upstairs and declutter.

Also paid a piddly amount on the LOC, and husband's truck fund is up to $1,460.

Web design has really picked up and I'm struggling to get it all done, keep up with housework, and still have time to relax. Yikes. But it's a good thing, we can use the extra money.

Still figuring out the details for vacation but it looks like it should only cost us a few hundred dollars or less. Gas will be paid for by goats, and we are staying at a friend's house. So only expenses would be eating out, shopping, activities, etc. Not bad.

Planning on cleaning all the big junk out of the barn such as ruined furniture, old insulation rolls, lumber scraps, etc, this weekend if it ever stops raining. Also need to roof the small front porch which somehow never got done when we put the new roof on 4 years ago... We have a trailer parked and waiting to fill up, which will be taken to the dump. I love getting rid of stuff. I am not very materialist or sentimental, which is the opposite of my husband who wants to keep every single thing.

Today when I went to make a payment on the computer I realized it would only leave a balance of less than $90... So I just went ahead and paid it off out of my checking account cushion!!!

Woot! All done!

Glad to be back down to one (large) debt. So much easier to focus when I'm not getting pulled so many ways. Now that the computer is gone, focus will be on keeping credit cards down, saving for vacation, and buying supplies for some house projects we have been slacking on. Once I breathe a bit, the LOC should start going down.

Goal 1 out of 5 complete.

Realistically I don't think there is anyway the LOC will actually be paid off this year. But a girl can dream.

Computer fund is down to $242.11! Hoping that next check I'll be able to knock it out!

Unfortunately husband's laptop that was purchased with cash at the same time is continuously acting up. It's been sent back twice, and it just seems to get worse and worse. Right now I am in a battle against Dell to get them to refund our money and take it back. It's a piece of junk, and in a couple months the warranty will run out and we'll be stuck with it. If they take it back we will purchase a new, slightly better one for about $200 more. Husband has cash for this.

"Scrump" the cat, named changed from Zazzles. Had her kittens. Unfortunately she had them in the ceiling space above our sun porch. There was less than 18" height and not much more width, and she had them 20' back. Yikes! My dear, brave, claustrophobic husband wiggled up there and managed to get them out. Then had to wiggled back out, while avoiding puncturing through the drywall. I can't believe he fit and didn't have a panic attack. He is not a small guy.

4 kittens, one dead. We've got them moved into the sun porch and they seem to be doing well except one is pretty tiny. I'm not sure how well it is eating, so I'll have to keep an eye on it.

FINALLY added some money to the animal fund. First goat was picked up, and I sent all of it in. Most of the rest of the goats are old enough to go home, but I am dragging my feet a little calling the owners because I don't want them to leave yet. lol. I'll miss them terribly. Plus I haven't received their paperwork back yet, so it's just easier to wait.

Animal fund will see a lot of progress soon. I did purchase a goat from across the country, and will have to pay two transporters, health checks, etc. So that will cut a large chunk back out. I'm estimating around $450. I've sold one of the babies I had planned on keeping to help offset this cost, so it shouldn't deter the goal.

I was not able to send any to the computer, but I am still figuring on paying it off this month if no large expenses pop up.

My female dog went into heat last week, and I did not think it was safe to bring her to a crowded vet, and travel in the car with my intact male dog. So unfortunately I had to leave her at home, and I will miss the discounted rates. Arg.

But I did take the outdoor cat, and the other dog. I got 1 year rabies and distemper for the cat, and 3 year rabies and distemper for the dog, plus a heart worm test. I also picked up flea meds for all the cats.

My total was about $160 which I don't think is too bad. Of course it's pouring rain, so both animals were wet and stinky. Poor dog HATES going indoors or in the car, so we had to drag him everywhere. Until we got home and he jumped out and ran right back to his goats. Funny how he can be so tough at home, but take him to the vet and the over 100 pound dog is trying to hide under chairs. lol.

I did get one of the credit cards completely paid off. Only about $130 on the other one, and it's not even due for another month but I just want them to be $0 for a while. I always pay them in full before the statements, but it's annoying having something on them at all times.

I also got all the goat kid registrations sent in and paid for. That is something big that is done and over with. I hate paperwork, so I'm happy that I got it completed so soon.

With finally getting caught up on the credit cards, this should put me in a good position to work on the goals, as long as the vet bills don't deter me too much and I keep spending in check.

Husbands computer is still acting up, after it's already been sent in twice. We hate it and want them to take it back and let us get a better one, but they keep insisting on fixing it over and over, which has a several week turn around. Arg. I think they are just stalling until the warranty runs out. I'll have to call them tomorrow, which means a several hour hold, and lots of arguing. I think I need to make a bigger stink.

**Gah, I wrote a huge post and didn't copy it for once and of course it got erased**

So much cat drama at my house. The cats all hate each other. The outdoor cat ran away for two days and we thought he was gone, but he finally came back.

Momo is still being a very slow eater. He is starting to act more hungry, but when you pour his food it's like he doesn't want it anymore. He'll eat canned food, and his teeth look fine. So I may pick up a new bag of food, maybe something is wrong with his one, or he is tired of it. Who knows.

Computer balance is finally below $500! Still hoping to knock it out by the end of May but that is going to be a stretch with the upcoming vet bills.

May is vaccine discount month. Both dogs need to go for their yearly vaccines and heart worm test. Rango the outdoor cat is due, and the kitten will need all her shots and the spay. In addition I just wormed all the cats for $50, and everyone needs flea meds. Yikes. It's going to be a very expensive month for vet bills.

Not sure if I should take everyone on the same day, or if I should break it up over several trips. Wrangling two 100 pound dogs who hate riding in the car, and two cats who hate each other does not sound very fun.

Credit card is $635 right now. Ouch! I haven't been shopping or spending like crazy, so I'm shocked it's that high. It's mostly our regular bills, bridesmaid dress, animal food, the wood for the garden boxes, and several $5 lunches.

Thankfully next week I have $320 coming from my paycheck and a goat deposit. So that will bring it down to a more manageable number.

I paid the mortgage today to bring it down to $47,209.82!

We did finish building and installing our garden boxes, and purchased the dirt and plants. Tonight we are going to fill them in, but it's supposed to get below freezing so we will wait until tomorrow to plant.

Not much progress financially. Actually I'm a ANOTHER wedding and had to put the deposit down on the bridesmaid dress, so I lost progress. Gah. (Am I allowed to say I'm sick of weddings, and how expensive they are?)

But, we've been working hard on home projects. We cut, and sanded our closet door trim. Yesterday we cut assembled and installed another raised garden bed. Just have to fill it. We only have one more bed to do, and we've already got it built, still need to bury and level it. Every year we've built a couple more, and kept increasing our garden size. But we will be finally be done making garden boxes, at least until our family grows.

Besides that I've got all the goat kids tattooed and vaccinated. Just need to fill out and send in all their paperwork.

My first goat deposit should be arriving in the mail this week. They won't be going to their new homes until at least May, but I'll be sad to see them go. They are such fun, and husband has really participated this year. We go out and play with them every day when he gets home, and he even built them a play ground.

Goat money will be used to build up my animal fund cushion, pay for hay, and pay for testing.

Friday I should see a big jump on my goals. I will have about $450 to put towards something. So that is exciting! Plan to finish the 2015 Roth contribution, and apply the rest towards the computer.

Husband just had to buy a set of new tires for $350, ouch. His tires were so bad that he was having to fill them up several times a week. If you stood beside the car you could hear the air leaking out. He purchased them USED several years ago. They were bald and dry rotting, and he had several plugged holes from running over things like screws. So at this point it was a matter of safety. We were really hoping to purchased a "new" car for him before he had to replace them, but we couldn't put it off any longer, and instead he is going to try to get a while longer out of his car.

This will give us more time to save for a car purchase, and also pay down some debt / figure out the remodel first. Just hoping his 1994 car keeps trucking.

Husband's extra paycheck hit so I made a large $600 transfer to his Roth! Only $300 to go before the April deadline.

I got my $100 state tax refund back and rather than waste it I sent it to the LOC. Need to get serious about demolishing debt if we are wanting to take on a construction loan!

I have $2,250 worth of goats sold. I will get that money when they are weaned in May.

This month I am focusing on the rest of husband's 2015 Roth contribution, and paying off the credit cards before the statement. Then next month will be working on the computer loan. If I could scrape enough money to pay it off in April that would be amazing, but May is more likely... A girl can dream.

When we purchased the house we were told we had a septic but didn't know where it was, or what shape it was in, or how old, etc.

We've been basically ignoring it since everything was in working order. Knowing that eventually it was going to give in. Well in the past week or two some raw sewage has begun to come out of what seems to be an overflow pipe. Ew. So father in law did some tracking and found the tank, and got it open. It's full all the way to the top, no surprise.

I've called around and it looks like we will be getting it pumped out for around $200. Which leads to our next problem.

The septic tank is very close to where we were going to put the addition this year, and it seems very small. No idea what shape it is in, so we are going to have it inspected when they pump it. But most likely we are going to have to have it replaced when we do the addition to support the new bathroom, and just because it's probably ancient.

We will know more after they come to look at it. Maybe it would be okay for a few more years, but it might just be easier to get it done while we already have the yard getting dug up. Unfortunately a new septic is in the $6k - $10k range, and will eat up a large amount of our budget.

Mortgage is down to $47,602.57. I paid some towards the computer, and husband's truck fund is at $920, which sadly did not meet our 2015 goal.

Also, I did some messing around with our taxes, and at this point it looks like we may owe or may only get a couple hundred back. Boo. We usually get $1,500 and put that towards our goals. So that's a downer, but not surprising since I have two new part time jobs. Won't know for sure until all our W2's come in, since I was just estimating with pay stubs.

We are really wanting to do a home addition next year which is going to cost upwards of $30k+. But it's not set in stone yet, especially with our recent unexpected expenses. Getting a loan for that amount is no problem, and the payment will be easily managed. But I do not feel comfortable having so much debt at one time. So the remodel will probably depend of how much debt we can knock down in the next few months.

Animal fund is the biggest priority. Considering I have a $500 windfall coming in the next few weeks, and I have quite a few kids due in the spring it shouldn't be a problem. There will be no more fencing or housing expenses to eat up my profit this year. It's all done.

The computer needs paid off. It's a 0% loan, but it's consumer debt and it needs to be gone before we add anymore payments.

Still want to continue adding to the Roth. My goal is to add $2,500. The same as it was this year.

LOC is up again from the furnace and fencing. But the furnace was going to be considered as part of the remodel, so we may just roll this loan into the remodel loan when the time comes. We will still try to pay it down as much as possible beforehand. Any we pay down or save will give us more wiggle room in the remodel budget.

Save another $1,000 for a new used car. Husband had his heart set on a truck, but if we are serious about the remodel we won't be able to afford both. We are going to continue to save for it, and most likely he will purchased another used jeep which would be half the price of a truck.

Overall we want to save for the necessities, and pay down what we can. In a perfect world we would also start putting back some cash for the remodel. But we will have to wait and see how it goes first.